TESTING REFUSAL UPDATES
The tidal wave of test refusal is moving powerfully towards Colorado schools and their districts. As more and more parents are becoming aware of their right to refuse standardized tests, the State Board of Education is taking steps to recognize those refusals without penalizing districts. Just recently, in a 4-2 vote, the Board allowed some wiggle room for schools that fall below the required 95% testing participation rate. Commissioner Robert Hammond sent a letter to the state's superintendents where he advises, "The effect of this motion is that districts will not be penalized by a lowering of their accreditation rating should their student participation rates fall below 95 percent on the PARCC assessments due to parent refusal of their students to take the PARCC assessments. Districts still need to engage in good faith efforts to test all students in accordance with state and federal law and maintain documentation of parent refusals." READ HERE
So, what does this mean for parents who refuse? For one thing, YOU WILL NOT HURT YOUR SCHOOL'S ACCREDITATION RATING. For now, accreditation will not be affected because districts will not be penalized for dropping below that 95% threshold that would have started schools down the path to the Turnaround Process. However, schools DO need to have a record of your refusal letter. And please note the use of the word REFUSAL versus Opting Out. The State of Colorado does not recognize opting out as it infers that there is an option. But they can recognize a REFUSAL. Schools also need to show they did their due diligence to let parents know that their students should be tested. This is not a green light to bully parents into forcing them to submit to testing. They may even ask you to fill out a form for the district. In Douglas County School Distrcit they are asking parents to fill out their Evidence of Refusal Form. Many parents are choosing to forego signing this form and are instead attaching their own refusal letter to it and turning that in instead!
Refusing the test can be a difficult decision for some. Depending on your child's school there may be very little resistance to refusing, while other schools are going as far as threatening, bullying, and shaming parents into having their children tested. We all understand a school having to fulfill the good faith effort to get kids to test but there are schools that are making parents feel if they refuse they are not being supportive of their school or their children's teachers. If you would like to refuse and need some guidance, we are providing links to two different refusal letters that you can download. These letters may be tailored to your needs or you can send them in as is. Please share this refusal information with as many people as you can. There is so much misinformation and we hope to help those parents that want to exercise their right to refuse these tests to make an informed decision and to not be afraid especially if they receive pushback.
REFUSAL LETTER 1
REFUSAL LETTER 2
REFUSAL LETTER 1
REFUSAL LETTER 2